U.S. Arms For Persia: Soviet Protest Notes

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 February 1948, Page 7

U.S. Arms For Persia: Soviet Protest Notes

LONDON, February 4.

“The revelation from Teheran that the Persian option for the purchase of 10,000,000 dollars’ worth of American arms has been extended to tomorrow may help tp„ explain the timing of the Russian Note, sent orr Monday, protesting against the activities of the American military mission in Persia,” says the diplomatic correspondent of The Times. Reporting the extension of the option, the Teheran correspondent of The Times says that the Persian Parliament has ‘not yet approved the purchase of American arms, and the Government spent yesterday considering its reply io the “unexpected” Russian Note. t Commercial Pilots

Reuters Moscow correspondent reports that the Soviet press has published a Tass message from Tabriz alleging that American military pilots wearing commercial uniforms are now being used on Persian internal passenger airlines. It is reported from Washington that the United States yesterday rejected the Russian protest against the use by the American Air Force of the Mellaha airfield, in Tripoli. The State Department’s rejection of the Soviet Note said that the Air Force would use Mellaha only while Britain remained the administrating Power of the former Italian colonies in North Africa, and therefore the United States considered that there was no breach of the Italian peace treaty. Activity in Denmark

“British-American military plans in Denmark have been ‘disclosed’ by the Soviet Army newspaper Red, Star,” says the diplomatic correspondent of The Times. “In a long article it said that the network of airfields and airstrips built by the Germans' during the war was being expanded under the direction of British and American experts. They could now accommodate about 3000 bombers and 2500 fighters. “There is much more in the same strain, ending with the usual com- i ment: ‘The Danish people know well that the policy of the Danish Gov- i eminent will lead to the conversion j of Denmark into a base for imperialist adventures, and that it bodes no good for the country.’ “The whole article seems designed to create anxiety and to warn Denmark against developing any kind of connection with the West.” The Danish Prime Minister (Mr Hans Hedtoft) described the article as a fantasy. The reports, he said, were so far removed from the truth that they did not deserve serious comment. “I must only regret that a newspaper of such a standard should publish such an article,” he said.

RUSSIAN CHARGES “CLEARLY FALSE” (Roc. 3 p.m.) TEHERAN, February 4. The United States Ambassador, Mr George Allen, told the Persian Press Association that the allegations in the Russian protest to Persia about American advisors’ activities were “clearly so false that they don’t require detailed consideration.” * The Russian protest, he added, was an obvious attempt to influence the Persian Parliament’s decision on the American loan for arms. x The Premier, Ibrahim, Hakimi, an - nounced that all the objections in the Soviet Note on the United States military mission were without foundation. He would hand an official reply to the Russian Ambassador tomorrow. ________